A few years ago, I set out on a long bicycle ride. I’d been telling myself for years that I needed to top 100 miles again. I’d done it once before – somewhere around 2001 with a couple of friends – and I knew I could do it again. So I put together a route, prepared myself mentally, and I did it – 100.31 miles in just over seven hours of riding (nearly nine hours if you included the stops). That’s a long time to put in on any recreational endeavor, but I was quite satisfied.
I’ve done 100 miles four more times since then – most recently just this past May. It’s hard, but I always end up doing it somehow. And then I manage to do it again.
But the long rides take a lot out of me. My first ride of over 100km happened in November of 2017. I’ve done 97 rides of at least 100km since then. They add up. And now I’m left wondering how much I have left in the tank. I can’t keep this up forever. I’m 60 years old, and not a lot of 60-year-olds are spending over seven hours on the roads doing 100-mile rides. Or 85-mile rides. Apparently, 85 is the magic number – the mileage at which I say, “I’ve gone this far, I may as well go another 15,” because I have no rides between 86 and 99 miles.
This doesn’t mean I’m hanging up the bike. Not at all. It just means I’ve got to start exploring new options. I’ve got to get out, farther away, into new territory. One of my biggest regrets was not putting a trailer hitch on my car when I ordered it. Now I’ve got to seriously consider getting one put on so I can put a rack on the back and go places with the bike. I already know I can put the it in the back if I take off the front wheel, but it’s awkward and difficult. I need to be able to throw it on the car and go, Take Micha and the dog with me. Head out on Friday night, find some little Pension that’ll take pets, set out on Saturday morning for a hundred k while everyone’s still asleep, then spend the rest of the day hanging out and chilling wherever we are.
Then there’s also the possibility of picking up a pedal-assist e-bike. Something that’ll help me during the rough patches – the uphills on which I already struggle far behind my riding mates for example. A hard sell for sure, because I just spent a sizeable chunk of money on a new bike less than a year ago. A bike that has served me well. A bike that I have claimed is absolutely perfect for the riding conditions of Korea. And it is. But now it seems that I might need a bike that is perfect for both the conditions of riding and the condition of the rider. Me. A 60-year-old, worn out grandpa.
In the end, I cannot help but start thinking, “something’s gotta give.” The question is, will it be my knees or my overall approach to riding? We’ll have to see about that…someday.